Mechanism foe sewing- machines



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 (No Model.)

W. S. BROWN. PEEDING MEGHANISM FR SEWING MACHINES.

Patented Jam. l, 1895.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

W. S. BROWN.

PBBDNG MEGHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

No. 531,770. Patented Jan. 1,1895.

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f'vcg GY- J MAM l B3 @gs llivrrED STATES PATENT EEicE.

TWILLIS S. BROVN, OF BELVIDERE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONALSEWING MACHINE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FEEDING MECHANlSNl FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 531,770, dated January1, 1895.

Application filed Septemlxer 22, 1892. Serial No. 446,538. (No model.)

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Be it known that I, WILLIS S. BROWN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Belvidere, in the county of Boone and State 0f Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing- Machines,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specication.

Myinvention relates to the feed mechanism of sewing machines, and moreparticularly to improvements in the means for imparting to the feedthemovementcommonly known in the art as the four way movement. The idealfeed movement, is one in which the feed travels in a strictly straightline throughout the entire length of at least its feeding or advancingstroke, whereby the goods will be posi tively engaged by the feed at thebeginning of the stroke, and will be as positively released at itstermination One of the objects of my invention, therefore, is to provideimproved means for causing the feed to travel in a strictly straightline throughout its feeding or advancing stroke, and to descend fromsuch line the instant such stroke is completed.

Another object of my invention, is to provide a feed mechanism in whichthe means for raising and lowering the feed shall be practicallyinactive during the action of the means for reciprocating the feed, andshall hold the feed at an unchanging altitude throughout the length ofeach stroke.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in certain features ofnovelty in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts bywhich the said objects and certain other objects of minor importancehereinafter described, are attained, as fully explained with referenceto the accompanying drawings andvmore particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In the said drawings, Figure l, is a bottom plan of a sewing machinebed, provided with my improvements. Fig. 2, is a vertical longitudinalsection thereof, taken on the line 2 2, Fig. 1, portions being brokenaway. Fig. 3, is an enlarged detail view hereinafter described. Fig. 4:,is atransverse sectional View,

taken on the line 4 4, Figs. 1 and 2. is an enlarged transversesectional view, taken on the line 5 5, Fig. l, showing the feed at thelimit of its return or rearward stroke, immediately before making itsupward stroke to engage the goods. showing the feed at the limit of itsupward stroke, immediately before making its forward or feeding stroke.Fig. 7, is a similar view, showing the feed at the termination of itsforward or feeding stroke. similar view, showing the feed at the limitof its downward stroke.

Like signs of reference indicate like parts throughout the severalviews.

It is well known that when a body is subjected to the pressure of twocontrary forces at once, the line of movement of such body will be theresultant of such forces, which will be a direction midway between thedirections of the two positive forces, or more or less near 7o thedirection of one of them, accordingly as the one is greater or less thanthe other; and on the same principle, if a sewing machine feed issubjected to the action of two moving parts at once, the movement of thefeed will 7 5 bein the direction of movement of neither of such parts,but in a contrary direction, resulting from the two. Proceeding uponthis well known principle of physics, I provide separate and independentmeans which oper- 8o ate upon the feed at separate and distinct periods,for producing respectively, the two requisite movements, t'. c., theforward and backward and the rising and falling movement.

In this way, I am enabled to cause the feed to rise or fall not untilthe forward and backward movement has been completed, and then t0 causeit to rise or fall positively and with great rapidity, and practicallybefore the return movement of the feed begins.v I accom- 9o plish this,by means of a pivoted lever, whose sole duty is to raise and lower thefeed, and which does not move until the feed is at the extremity of itsstrokes; and an oscillating crank-arm, actuated by an eccentric, whoseduty is to reciprocate the feed in a horizontal direction, independentlyof the said lever. The oscillating crank-arm being actuated by Fig. 5, 5:a

Fig. 6, is a similar View, 55

Fig. 8, is a 6o j ment.

an eccentric, there will be a brief period a the end of each stroke inwhich the arm does not move at all. It is atthese periods, that thelever imparts to the feed its rising and falling movement.

Arranged under the cloth plate or bed plate A, is the feed bar B, uponwhich the feed proper, C, is mounted, as-usual. The feed bar, B, may bemounted between depending lugs or ears, a, a', arranged one on eitherside thereof, at both ends, and serving to restrict the bar to avertical and longitudinal move- The bar works freely through the lugs a,but at its farther end, where it passes between the lugs c', it isprovided with a longitudinal slot b, through which passes a pin d,

- which lever the feed bar is caused to rise and fall the requisitedistance for causing the feed to engage and disengage the goods.

The longitudinal reciprocation of the feedbar, is accomplished by meansof an upright crank-arm F, mounted upon a crank shaft G, and having anelongated slot f, in its upper end, in which engages a pin H, projectingfrom one side of the bar B, the slot f being elongated for thepurpose,-as will be seen,- of permitting the crank arm to force thefeedbar in either direction, without compelling it to move in the arc ofa circle, or to change its altitude. The upper end of the slot f, ispreferably open, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5, for convenience inputtting the parts together. The pin H, if desired, may be arranged at apoint over the slot b', as it is not essential that the end d of thelever D should project entirely through such slot b.

The end d of the lever D, is preferably rectangular in cross-section,and oblong, for the sake of affording a greater bearing surface; and inorder that the feed bar B may reciprocate back and forth withoutstriking such -end d, the slot b', is extended beyond both sidesthereof, as more clearly shown in Fig. 5.

The rock shaft G, may be journaled below the feed-bar B, lengthwise ofthe bed-plate, in suitable hangers g, and be given an oscillatory orrocking motion by some suitable connection with the needle-bar shaft, I.I prefer, however, to accomplish this rocking movement of the shaft G,by means of a crank arm J, secured to one end thereof and beingconnected to an eccentric K, on the shaft I, by means of an upright rod,or pitman L, having a strap at its upper end, embracing the eccentric,and a suitable connection at its lower end for adj ustably connecting itto the crank arm J. Thus, it will be seen that when the needle bar shaftI is rotated, the requisite rocking motion will be imparted to the shaftG, which, through the medium of its upright crank arm F, will producethe desired longitudinal reciprocation of the feed.

The shorter arm d', of the lever D, is provided with a cam slot,consisting of two substantially horizontally portions, d2, d3, connectedtogether at their inner ends, midway of the slot, by a short incline,d4; and formed on or secured tothe shuttle lever M, and projectingpreferably from the side thereof, at the point where it is pivoted tothe cloth-plate or bed,is an arm or projection N, whose outer endengages in the said cam slot, or groove, and,if desired, may be providedwith an antifriction roller n, to reduce the friction. It will thus beseen that when the shuttle lever M oscillates upon its pivot, the arrnor projection N will be carried back and forth in a straight line, orhorizontal direction along the cam slot, or groove, in the lever D, andwhen such arm reaches the incline (Z4, moving in one direction, it willdepress the arm d', of the lever D, and cause the feed to rise intoengagement with the goods; and when the arm N again reaches the inclined4, in its return movement, it will raise the arm ol', and withdraw thefeed from engagement with the goods. The length of the cam slot orgroove and the position or location of the ineline d4 therein, is suchthat the feed will make a complete stroke, that is to say, either afeeding stroke or a return stroke, while the arm N is traveling from theincline d4, to the extremity of the slot and back again to the incline.Thus, assuming thatl the anti-friction roller n, is at the mid-length ofthe cam slot, about to ride over the incline dand depress the arm d', asshown in Fig. 2, and that when the roller is in this position, the feedis at the extremity of its return stroke, as shown in Fig. 5, thefurther movement of the roller 'rt to the left, will immediately causethe elevation of the long arm of the lever D, which will result in thefeed being quickly raised into engagement with the goods. When thistakes place, the eccentric K is supposed to be on dead center and thearm F at rest, but immediately after the feed C has risen, orsimultaneously with the completion of the upward movement of the feed,the eccelltric K begins to oscillate the arm F to the right, and whenthis return movement of the feed takes place, the roller n retraces itscourse through the upper portion d2, of the cam slot, and by the timethe feed C hascompleted its feeding movement, the roller nwill haveagain reached the incline d4, and bearing upon the upper side of theslot, will cause the arm cl of the lever to rise, and, consequently,rapidly withdraw the feed from engagement with the goods. The roller nnow being in the lower horizontal portion cl3 of the cam slot orgroove', it will move therealong wit-hout changing the altitude of thefeed, but,

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on the contrary, will hold the feed at a xed elevation until such rollern has traversed the horizontal portion d3, and again returned to theincline d4, during which time the feed will have completed its returnstroke and arrived at the position illustrated in Fig. 5.

I have described the portions d2, d3, of the cam slot, in the lever D,as horizontal, but by that I mean that these portions are horizontalonly when the projection or arm N is acting therein, and the purpose ofthis ,-as will be nnderstood,-is to permit the arm Nte complete itsoscillation after passing the incline d4 in either direction, withoutaffecting the position of the end of the lever D, in which it was placedby the engagement of the arm or projection N, With the incline.

As a means for causing the oscillation of the shuttle lever M, I providethe short arm of the same with a fork, m, Whose prongs are adjustablyconnected together, by means of a setscrew m', and between which engagesthe lower end of an upright lever S, fulcrunied in the arm of themachine and having a strap or yoke s at its upper end, in which Works acam or eccentric, T, mounted upon the needlebar shaft I and being sodisposed with relation to the cam K, as to produce the proper movementof the shuttle by the oscillation of the lever S. The lever S, may beprovided with a cross-shaft U, Whose ends are provided vwith conicalsockets or bearings, in Which en* gage set-screws V, passing through thearm of the machine.

I claiml. In a feed mechanism for sewing machines, the combination ofthe feed bar having a longitudinal slot therein, a pivoted leverengaging in said slot and having a cam-slot consistingof two horizontalportions arranged at diiferent elevations and connected by an incline,the shuttle lever having a projection engaging in said cam-slot, andmeans independent of said rst lever for longitudinally reciprocatingsaid feed bar, substantially as set forth.

2. In Va feed mechanism for sewing niachines, the combination of a feedbar having a slot therein, a pivoted lever confined to oscillate in avertical plane and arranged at right angles to said feed bar and havingits end engaging in said slot and supporting said bar, and said pivotedlever being provided with a cam slot consisting of two horizontalportions connected by an incline, the shuttle lever having a horizontalprojection engaging in said cam slot and means independent of said rstlever for longitudinally reciprocating said feed bar, substantially asset forth.

VILLIS S. BROWN.

Witnesses:

L. I. PATTON, R. ELDR-nnen.

